


Miles to Go

by Queen_Amunet



Category: SHINee
Genre: Gen, RIP Jonghyun, you did well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2019-03-06 09:12:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13408062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_Amunet/pseuds/Queen_Amunet
Summary: "Tae, you need to do this more often.""Shut up, hyung."





	Miles to Go

**Author's Note:**

> This is not beta-ed. All mistakes are mine.

_Whose woods these are I think I know._

_His house is in the village though;_

Taemin sat at the piano, fingers hovering over the black and white keys. He gazed at the bookshelf on the other side of the baby grand. It was more for show than anything, the books on it never read. But the pictures; they told a story. The story of him meeting four other men, boys actually, and the life they lead together.

He pressed a key. A solitary note filled the air, before fading out. Taemin's long fingers danced across the keys. He played a song that reflected the lives they had shared. A song of joy, frustration, love, anger, happiness, sadness, hope and loss.

_He will not see me stopping here_

_To watch his woods fill up with snow._

It was a piece he had been working on for months, but the ending was never quite right. Again he stumbled over the same part. He tried again, and again, and again. He couldn't finish the piece.

Taemin knew how he wanted it to sound, but couldn't seem to find the right notes to convey what was in his heart. He slammed his hands down on the keys in frustration. The disharmonious notes tore through the air, weighing on Taemin. Sounding like laughter and jeers at his failure. Resting his elbows on the ivory keys, he hid his face in his hands, pulling on his hair, as though it would help the emotions he was feeling become the music he wanted.

A hand rested on his shoulder, a body sat on the bench next to him. Taemin turned his head.

_My little horse must think it queer_

_To stop without a farmhouse near_

"Let's try it again together, OK?" Jinki asked. Taemin nodded and slid down to make room. Jinki settled himself on the bench as Taemin retrieved the music from on top the piano. He had it memorized, but Jinki had never seen or played the  song before, just heard bits and pieces as Taemin worked.

With the song laid out Jinki asked, "Can you play it through for me once?

Taemin nodded. When he reached the end, Jinki began to play. Taemin joined him two measures in. The music had a richer quality with two people playing. It was exactly what he was looking for. They reached the end of the music and continued on without any trouble. Jinki followed Taemin's lead, echoing his notes. It wasn't perfect, but it was close enough for Taemin to express what he wanted.

The song ended.

Everything was still.

_Between the woods and frozen lake_

_The darkest evening of the year._

Taemin snatched the pencil off the top of the piano and begin to write everything down as fast as he could. Jinki sat next to him, a soft smile pulling at his lips.

"Hyung…"

"Hmmm?"

"Can you play it with me again?"

"Of course." They began again.

_He gives his harness bells a shake_

_To ask if there is some mistake._  

About halfway through the song, Taemin saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Turing his head, he saw Minho with his arms wrapped around Kibum. The two of them swaying side to side in time with the music as they gazed out the window at the lights of Seoul.

The music stopped, and for one breath the world stopped turning, time stopped moving, everything stopped...

_The only other sound’s the sweep_

_Of easy wind and downy flake._

"Why is everyone still up?"

The world began turning, the clock started to tick, and everything moved on.

"We were waiting for you to get home hyung," Minho said as he turned, but he didn't let go of Kibum.

Jonghyun stood at the top of the steps leading to the main room. He looked tired, sounded exhausted. His shoulders drooped with a burden the others couldn't see. His footsteps were heavy, as though they took more strength then he had to give. His eyes flit between the four men as though he couldn't decide who to look at first. Finally they settled on Jinki.

"You are supposed to be setting a good example and making sure the kids are in bed on time, _hyung_ ," Jonghyun stated as he allowed his backpack of fall off his shoulder to the floor, "It's almost dawn."

"I know," Jinki closed the lid to the piano, "But I wanted to see you safe and sound as well."

Taemin could no longer sit still. Jumping from the piano bench he quickly closed the gap to Jonghyun. Taemin stopped before the two steps that separated them, and wrapped his arms around Jonghyun's waist. Taemin pressed his face against the elder's chest and sighed.

"Welcome home, hyung."

Jonghyun smiled down at Taemin, "It's good to be home," he stated as his arms came up around Taemin's shoulders. Jonghyun took a breath and seemed to shed the burden he was carrying, standing a touch straighter he combed his fingers through the youngest's hair.

"Let's go to bed," Kibum climbed the steps, stopping to place a hand on Jonghyun's shoulder, "You did well, Jjong. You did well."

_The woods are lovely, dark and deep,_

_But I have promises to keep,_

"Tae, you need to do this more often. I'm finally taller than you."

"Shut up, hyung."

_And miles to go before I sleep,_

_And miles to go before I sleep._

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is not a fix it fic. I just thought that we needed something today. The poem is Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.
> 
> And no matter what; Jonghyun, you did well.


End file.
